West Ham must be ruthless with Mads Hermansen as 'unbelievable' Southampton contrast emerges

Mads Hermansen should be facing a return to the West Ham bench after his performances this season.

The Danish shot-stopper has often been incredibly inconsistent, and so far, he has continued to be the same this season.

Under Nuno, he has emerged as the Hammers' number one goalkeeper, but in truth he has not done much to deserve keeping his place.

As the Hammers took on the Saints, one thing between the two sides was evidently clear.

The quality difference between their goalkeepers was a key factor in the 3-2 defeat for the Irons on Saturday.

With Alphonse Areola now surely lurking from the bench, awaiting his chance to start.

Late West Ham moment puts Mads Hermansen under the microscope

Hermansen has yet to consistently prove he can be the difference-maker Nuno Espírito Santo needs between the posts.

And his counterpart on Saturday afternoon proved exactly what is missing from West Ham's squad.

Speaking on BBC Radio Solent, former Southampton midfielder Jo Tessem said: "I have to give the man of the match to Daniel Peretz because that unbelievable save at the end kept them in the game."

Before later going on to state: "That save at the end from Peretz shows you need a keeper to win you the points, and that's the difference between getting the three points rather than one."

On this occasion, the Irons will be upset that the Israeli goalkeeper prevented them from getting a result.

But the contrast with Hermansen couldn't be clearer.

While Southampton came away with the win thanks to Peretz, how often has Hermansen provided the same for the Irons?

Tessem is completely right. A solid goalkeeper can be a difference maker, and Hermansen is not that type of player.

Hermansen inconsistency can cost West Ham

While Hermansen has had his moments, they have not come often enough in a West Ham shirt.

As per FotMob, Hermansen has let in more goals than he has prevented, with a goals-prevented rate of just 0.95.

Additionally, he ranks in the 37th percentile for save percentage with just 62.5 per cent in the Championship.

As stated, Peretz is the comparison, and his 4.22 goals-prevented rate and 77.4 per cent save percentage completely outdo the West Ham shot-stopper.

While he may not have been the problem against Southampton, he is certainly an issue emerging this season.

And Nuno has a decision to make over his goalkeeping department for the rest of the campaign.